Jeff Compher enjoys any chance he gets to talk about the East Carolina Pirates athletic programs.

The first-year ECU Athletics Director has a lot on his plate, but still makes time to mingle with the public.

Compher was in New Bern Thursday to speak to New Bern’s Breakfast Rotary at the Golden Corral. It was exactly six months to the day when he was announced as the head man in the Pirates’ athletics department.

“I enjoy that because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the Pirates and talk about our student-athletes and our programs and what we are trying to do with our athletics program and our alumni who support us,” he said.

Compher talked about the direction the athletics department is headed and the current state of the programs.

ECU is in its final year in Conference USA before joining the American Athletic Conference in 2014.

The Pirates’ football team is sitting in first place in the East Division, while the basketball teams are preparing for the upcoming season.

“I am really pleased with our football season,” Compher said. “I think we’ve done a great job of integrating new players into our system because we’ve had a lot of injuries and other challenges.

“When you face adversity, to see the team step up and not miss a beat, I think our program is on solid ground. It could be a special season.”

Compher made his second trip to New Bern for a meet-and-greet. Three months ago, he spoke to another rotary club in New Bern at the Chelsea.

At that visit, he made time to explore the city.

“The last time I was here I had a chance to explore downtown a little bit,” Compher said. “I have some friends here who I have known for years, so it’s great to come back to New Bern.

“I love this town. I always get an excited feeling when I cross that bridge because I know you are closer to the beach.”

Compher, 54, comes to ECU after spending three seasons as the Athletics Director at Northern Illinois. His Huskies' football team became the first Mid-American Conference school to play in a Bowl Championship Series game.

Compher said his new position is even better than he thought it would be.

“I’ve always used Greenville and Eastern North Carolina as an example to the rest of the country as to how you should support your local university,” he said.

“Everyone from this entire region has really stepped up and been a part of what we do at ECU.”

Adam Thompson can be contacted at 252-635-5669 or at Adam.Thompson@newbernsj.com. Follow Adam on Twitter @Adam_matic.